Bass Amp Theories

[question3]

I've heard many mixed reviews about using guitar amps and bass amps.  This is what I think. If wrong please PLEASE correct me:

Guitar amps:
- Fender Twin Reverb
- Roland JC-120

both are great and I hear. I've heard a rhodes through a JC in person but not a Twin. JC was pretty warm!

Bass amps:
- Fender Bassman

or any bass amp that's reputable really.  Wouldn't the fact that a bassamp was designed to handle the low end make it more suitable to handle a keyboard that puts out a wide range of frequencies? Keyboard amps that I've heard don't have the b@ll$ that I've heard on bassamps (of course).

Here are a handful of used amps that I'm considering:

- Fender Twin Reverb
$750-$800

- Roland JC-120
$350-$500

- '59 Reissue Fender Bassman
$700-800

- SWR Redhead
$500

As you see, there's mix of bass, guitar, 12" speaker, 10", two speaker config, four speaker config...... not to mention the range of prices!!!

There are many people in the ep forums that are very knowledgeable and would be grateful for your input and advice.

Thanks in advance!

[pianotuner steveo]

Whatever you choose, just be sure you actually try your Rhodes (or A Rhodes..) through it first. I have had problems in the past with keyboard output signals being too hot for guitar amps.

Also keep in mind that the highest note on a Rhodes is not that high of a frequency, but the low end is very low. The low A on an 88 is roughly 27.5 hz but the highest C is well under 5khz

(I just looked it up, high C  is 4,186 hz)

[question3]

Thanks for the response.

So by your explanation, IN THEORY, it would make sense to use a bass amp?

[Mark II]

Also keep in mind that the highest note on a Rhodes is not that high of a frequency, but the low end is very low. The low A on an 88 is roughly 27.5 hz but the highest C is well under 5khz

(I just looked it up, high C  is 4,186 hz)

Hi.
But keep the overtones in mind. depending on your voicing (pure fundamental vs overtones) 4kHz as upper limit has to be extended.

Mark II

[B3legene]

Hi

From my work on stage with The Rhodes I strongly recommend Roland SA-1000: stereo (more so If you link two together like I do), subwoofer, light weight, loud and great sound. Try it!

Peace 

[andi85]

It should be fun either way! Every genuine Rhodes is a creative instrument - no matter if it's played through a DI, a guitar amp, a bass amp, or even a keyboard combo. At least that's my opinion.

It's probably true that a bass amp will generally handle the low end of a Rhodes better than a guitar amp. However, if you're not playing left hand bass, I doubt you'll need the specific low-end capacities of a bass amp. With a bass player it is usually a better idea to roll of the low end anyway.

Depending on the stuff you usually play, though, the clarity of your left-hand voicings may benefit from an amp that can deliver some punch. However, a guitar amp with some low-end capacity should do the trick, I guess. I recently purchased a JazzChorus 120 and apparently, it handles the left hand somewhat better than the Fender HotRod Deluxe I've been playing for a couple of years now. But that doesn't mean that I've been missing anything with the Fender in terms of punch. Clean headroom is sometimes lacking, but punch is not a problem. Also, mid-range clarity can be improved by using a high-impedance preamp or booster - at least that's my experience - so the amp is just one part of the game. 

Personally, I prefer DI or guitar amps. DI is hard to beat in terms of clarity and piano-like response. Guitar amps are my favorite when it comes to in-your-face punch onstage and I like their reaction to pickup-generated saturation/distortion, something that at times sounds odd with bass amps or PA speakers. The cool thing about many bass amps are their semi-parametric mid-EQs, which give you a little more flexibility in shaping your sound.

Anyway, the best advice is to try out several amps and then decide.